K-pop Demon Hunters writers finish their speech backstage after Oscars brutally cut them off

The team behind the song Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters made Oscars history on Sunday night, but their moment was cut short when they were played off before finishing their speeches.

The track won Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards, marking several firsts for the Oscars. Golden became the first K-pop song ever to win the category, the first winning song with more than four credited writers, and the first time not every songwriter could receive their own trophy.

Shutterstock/David Fisher

Singer EJAE, who provides the singing voice for Rumi in the film, started the group’s acceptance speech while visibly emotional.

“Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone is singing our song and all the Korean lyrics,” she told the audience at the Dolby Theatre. “This award is not about success. It’s about resilience.”

But as songwriter Yu-Han Lee (also known as Yuhan) stepped forward to continue the speech, the orchestra began playing almost immediately. His microphone was cut and the broadcast cut to a commercial break, prompting audible boos from the audience.

the oscar’s are rude af for this i’m sorry😭 pic.twitter.com/3tSXtT8x54

— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 (@beyoncegarden) March 16, 2026

The songwriting team, which also includes Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park, later finished their speeches backstage in the press room.

Yuhan used the moment to thank “our families, and 24, and our fellow IDO members,” calling the win “an incredible honor.”

Sonnenblick, who had earlier been seen jumping on stage trying to keep speaking before the group was ushered away, also completed his speech.

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“My family, some of them here tonight, my husband is here tonight,” he said. “Everybody who worked on this movie, all the animators, it was a real collaboration across the board.”

He added: “Part of the movie is about looking at someone that you had been taught to hate and to fear, and starting to trust, maybe love them. A movie is like a village, and we’re lucky to be up here right now, but there’s so many people who have made this what it is.”

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ songwriters react to getting cut off at the #Oscars after winning Best Song for “Golden” and finish their speech

Read more: https://t.co/0leputa07C pic.twitter.com/96dKLkewAZ

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 16, 2026

The moment sparked backlash online, partly because of a long-standing rule. For Best Original Song, no more than four statuettes can be awarded, meaning when more writers are credited, they must agree to share a single trophy.

People pointed out that with seven writers credited on Golden, there was little chance every contributor would get time at the microphone.

Despite the awkward speech moment, the night was still a huge success for KPop Demon Hunters. The animated hit, already Netflix’s most-streamed film ever, also won Best Animated Feature, with directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans collecting the award.

Backstage, EJAE also gave a shoutout to fellow Huntrix vocalists Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, noting they didn’t get a chance to speak because the Academy “just cut us off”.

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Featured image credit: Shutterstock/David Fischer